Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to attend the Winter Olympics in South Korea, ending speculation he would snub the event after a war of words with Seoul over a deal on wartime sex slavery, AFP said. “I would like to attend the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympics to cheer on Japanese athletes if conditions allow me to do so,” Abe told the Sankei Shimbun newspaper on Wednesday. The Yomiuri Shimbun daily also reported that Abe is set to attend the opening gala of the Winter Olympics, which will be hosted by the South Korean city on February 9. Abe had previously hinted that he might skip the event to concentrate on passing a national budget bill.